Improvement in cams for knitting-machines



J. P. SMITH E GQLEHMANN. 'Gam for Knitting-Machines.

No. 214.722.. A Patented April 22, 1879.

',UI'IIH HH I UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JOSEPH F. SMITH, OF GERMAN'IOWN, AND CHRISTIAN LEHMANN, OF4

' PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAMS FOR KNlTTlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,722, dated April22, 1879; application filed February 13, 1879.

To all who/m it may concern:

Be it known that We, JOSEPH F. SMITH, of Germantown, and CHRISTIANLEHMANN, of the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, inthe State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain I new and usefulImprovements in Cams for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part hereof.

This invention relates to cams for knitting machinery controllablewithout stopping the machine for the production of plain and tuck work,especially in stocking fabrics.

The invention consists in compound cams composed of a fixed portion anda movable portion, the latter being adapted to be shifted verticallyover or upon the fixed portion in the direction of the length of thesaid xed portion, so as to give two cam-faces to the cams, incombination with a pin, the slotted cylinder through which the pinprojects, and the slotted operating-band, the said cams being operatedwithout stopping the machinery, and applied as top and bottom cams toserve in changing from plain to tuck and from tuck to plain work. Withthese cams are employed jacks having suitable top or bottom tucks ornotches, and also plain jacks, which are inserted in the comb orneedle-cylinder at proper intervals in accordance with the pattern ofwork to be made, the tuck-jacks being worked by the shifting of the camsat the desired times, While the plain jacks are unaffected by suchshiftings.

In the drawings hereinbefore referred to, Figure 1 is a side elevationof a cylinder .embodyin g our invention; Fig. 2, a verticalcrosssection, showing the cams in elevation, the top cam in full linesbeing in position for plain work, and in broken lines in its shiftedposition for tuck-work, and the bottom cam being in normal position infullA lines, and in its shifted position for tuck-work in dotted lines.Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line w w of Fig. 2, showing the topcamin position for tuckwork, and Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line yy of Fig. 2, showing the bottom cam in its shifted position fortuck-work.

The revolving needle comb or cylinder, the

outer cylinder, and the jacks are of any ordinary construction. Theinvention is shown applied to a cylindrical knitting-machine, a beingthe outer cylinder, and a' the comb or needle-cylinder. On the innerface of the cylinder a are the cams, which in this invention consist ofa lixed portion, b, and a movable portion, c, for the top cam, and afixed portion,

d, and movable portion e for the lower cam. These movable, or preferablyshitting, portions c e work over and upon the fixed portions, and thetwo portions form, when in line, cams of sufficient width to operate theplain jacks, While the movable or shifting portions are of such width asto engage, when shifted, the tuck-jacks to operate them without at thesame time taking the plain jacks from their paths upon the fixedportions, and without interfering with their work. The cams c e arerespectively provided With studs f and g, the stud j' extending througha diagonal slot, h, through the fixed cam b and cylinder a, and the studg through a vertical slot, t', in the cylinder, and thence,respectively, through cam-slots j and k, made in bands l and m, en-

circling the cylinder. These bands Z and m are provided withoperating-handles a and o, in convenient reach of the attendant, whilethe machine is in motion. Instead of slotted bands slotted plates orcams may be employed, or any other mechanical equivalent which willserve to shift the movable cams c c vertically over the faces of thefixed cams. This shifting of the movable cams effects the changes fromplain to tuck work according to their positions thus: When the top cam,c, is in the position shown in full lines at Fig. 2, and the bottom cam,e, in that shown by full lines, Fig. 2, plain work is being madethat isto say, all the needles are operated to produce plain stitches, or afabric of uniform appearance. When cam c is in the position shown inFig. 3 top tuck-Work is being made,

for the cam has been shifted so that as the top tuck-jacks come intocontact with it and necessarily follow its surface their needles cannotdescend far enough to throw off their loops, but merely lay themstraight across the back of the fabric, and the stitches are not formeduntil the next plain cam is reached,

which depresses the needles sufliciently to cause them to throw offtheir loops into stitches. When the bottom cam, e, is shifted downward,as in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and full lines, Fig. 4, the bottomtuck-needles are rendered inoperatiVe-thatis to say, fail to throw offtheir loops to form stitches, but merely lay them straight across theback of the fabric, and bottpm tuck-work is produced. Similarly, whenthe cam c is as in Fig. 3, and the cam e as in Fig. i--that is to say,both cams shiftedboth the top and bottom tuck-jacks are inoperative, andtop and bottom tuck-work is produced; in other words, the loops of bothsets of tuck-needles are laid straight across the back of the fabricuntil plain cams are again reached and plain stitches formed. Theseseveral changes may be effected at any time, and all without anystoppages of the inachinery.

The terms plain Work,7 top tuck-work, and bottom tuck-work, as hereinemployed, are respectively used in the art to designate the kind offabric produced. The needles having jacks without any notches, recesses,or tucks, or plain jacks, produce a fabric of uniform stitches or plainwork. The needles having jacks with notches or tucks atotheir upper endsare so operated by the top cams when shifted as to fail to draw theloops into stitches, merely laying them straight across the back of thefabric, and so produce top tuck-work. Tuck-work may be shown on the faceof the fabric by stripes or figures of a different color from the body.Those needles whose jacks have notches or tucks at their bottoms areoperated by the bottom cams to produce bottom tuck-work. The two kindsof work may be combined to produce diii'erent effects, whereby theappearance or design of the fabric may be greatly varied.

It must be borne in mind that the top and bottom cams are entirelyindependent of one another in construction, operation, and effect; butboth can be so adjusted as to combine their offices in producing a givenkind of work. Their operation does not affect the plain jacks, norreciprocally are the tuck-jacks in the least affected by the fixed camswhich operate the plain jacks.

This mechanism will be found specially valuable in machinery forknitting striped or iigured stocking fabrics.

1. The compound cams herein described, each consisting of a fixedportion and a shifting portion, movable vertically upon or over the saidxed portion in the direction of the length of the said fixed portion, incombination'with a pin, the slotted cylinder, and the slotted band forshifting the said movable portion, substantially as specified.

2. The top cam described, composed of the diagonally-slotted Xed portionI1 and the shifting portion c, in combination with the diagonallyslotted cylinder a., pin j', and slotted operating-band, substantiallyas specified.

JOSEPH F. SMITH. CHRISTIAN LEHMANN. Vitnesses MARerARE'L` C. PRoVEsT,CHARLES B. ENGLE.

